The Tonight Show

Barely two weeks ago, Dusty Slay was standing behind the curtain waiting to be introduced for his first performance on “The Tonight Show.”

It’s still a rite of passage for a comedian, and yes, he was nervous. In a good way.

“You definitely feel all that pressure,” Slay said. “You think, ‘If this goes wrong, everyoneis going to see it go wrong.’ At the same time, you’re excited because if it goes right, if I do what I’m able to do in clubs all the time, everyone’s going to see that, too.

“I was nervous backstage, but right as I stepped to that curtain, right as they were about to call my name, all that nervousness turned to adrenaline. Comedy is what I love to...

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